Memet and others v Romania (pending)

Facts

The applicants are a group of ten Romani families living in Eforie Sud, Romania. They were first evicted from their homes, which were demolished, in September 2013; the mayor called their homes an “infection” and called the families “dogs”. The families were then sheltered in an abandoned school. In July 2014, the applicants were evicted from the school and placed in small, uncomfortable modular containers. The families signed leases with the municipality to pay rent and utilities, but the amounts were clearly unaffordable and the families quickly ran up significant debts of hundreds of euros, despite having very low incomes. The authorities then decided to evict the families for failure to pay in March 2016.

The Case

The ERRC has been supporting the families to litigate the first eviction and worked with the families to ask the European Court of Human Rights to stop the third eviction. The European Court agreed to the request, granting a so-called “Rule 39” interim measure (like an injunction) to stop the eviction. Although the imminent risk of eviction stopped, as the authorities withdrew the eviction decision, the ERRC is working with the community to continue the case in the European Court about the third eviction, as there is still a threat of a future eviction.